We’ll skip the rest of the aspic-addled, meringuey-mousse and fondue-flambéed '70s, except to mention that a decade of food that wobbles, glistens, and catches fire is fabulous retrospectively!
Oddly enough, it was Minister of Finance Roger Douglas’s economic reforms in the 1980s that led to a surge of international speciality foods becoming de rigeur, as import tariffs were abolished and import quarantine regulations relaxed.
Immigration laws also became more liberal, which saw an influx of new Asian migrants who influenced local cuisine. The Kiwi cultural cringe factor also started to shift towards a sense of local pride in place, purpose, and products.
Fast forward to 2014 and Peter Gordon has made our Pacific Rim fusion cuisine the equivalent of the “It” girl overseas, and New Zealand wine, dairy, meat, fruit, and fish make up over 60 percent of our exported products.
The best part of it all is that we’re spoiled for choice as far as restaurants, cafes, markets, and takeaways go – and if you just can’t choose, there’s always the jewel in our crown: Moore Wilson’s!